Certain powered systems (e.g., powered vehicles or vehicle consists) include communication systems that periodically obtain measurements related to the health, operational status, state, or other conditions of one or more sub-systems of the powered system. For example, locomotives in a rail vehicle consist (“consist” referring to a group of vehicles linked to travel together along a route) may include communication systems that periodically receive measurements related to operations of the locomotive, such as speed, horsepower, temperature, brake pressure measurements, and the like. These measurements can be referred to as data parameters. For example, measurements of speed of a traction motor may be a first data parameter, measurements of brake pressures may be a second data parameter, and so on.
Many data parameters may be obtained for a locomotive or other powered system. The list of data parameters that are obtained for the locomotive or other powered system may be referred to as a master list of the data parameters. In some known locomotives, the number of data parameters in the master list may be relatively large, such as 800 or more data parameters. The data parameters are periodically communicated in messages to one or more software applications. The software applications use the data parameters to perform one or more operations, such as to monitor the fuel efficiency of the locomotive, to control tractive operations of the locomotive, and the like. The software applications request the data parameters from the communication system based on which data parameters are needed for the applications to perform their associated operations. Different software applications can request different data parameters relative to each other.
The acts of obtaining new values of the data parameters and the communication of the data parameters to the applications may occur in a periodic basis. For example, updated values of one or more of the data parameters in the master list may be obtained and communicated to the applications every second or every few seconds. Different messages that are transmitted to the applications may include different groups of the data parameters. Due to constraints on the system, the system may be unable to communicate updated values of the data parameters for all data parameters in the master list. As a result, the system may communicate the values of only a portion of the data parameters in a periodic manner.
However, one or more software applications may request new or different data parameters relative to previously requested data parameters by the same software applications and/or may request data parameters that differ from one or more other software applications. For example, a software application may request a data parameter that is not included in the data parameters being periodically communicated by the system. Requesting new or different data parameters from the system can cause the system to automatically reconfigure which data parameters are periodically communicated. Such a reconfiguration can cause the system to interrupt the flow of the data parameters to the other applications that have not requested new or different data parameters. As a result, one or more applications may not receive the necessary data parameters from the system as needed by the applications. For example, applications that may be critical for safe operation of the locomotive or other powered system may not receive the necessary data parameters when needed due to reconfigurations.
A need exists for a communication system and method for a vehicle or other powered system that reduces the frequency at which the reconfiguration of communicated data parameters occurs.